What happens when a resource becomes a privilege?
I was speaking recently with another Maker Educator about class routines, rules, and establishing consequences for unsafe behavior. As a side-note, she mentioned that access to their makerspace is often framed as a “privilege” at her school. Before using the space, a teacher might say something like this to their class, “I want to remind you that we have to be safe in this space and follow the rules. It’s a privilege for us to be in this space and if we want to keep coming here, we need to behave appropriately. If you can’t behave, you’ll be asked to leave and you won’t be invited back.” …
Things I Learned about Teaching from Practicing Yoga.
Several years ago now, I practiced yoga at a studio that had a very particular brand of yoga. Called “free range”, the idea was to feel into and listen to your body to determine what you need — from a pose, from a prop, from the universe — for yourself. Our teacher guided, suggested, and presented us with endless variations and alternatives. He looked out for our overall alignment and safety — but he did not determine our path. I have a strong urge to try new things and push myself, and yoga was no exception. I tried all sorts of styles, in all sorts of environments, with all sorts of teachers. Almost none of it truly served me. Like many young yogis, I was too focused on what I could and could not do, on getting into “advanced” poses, on keeping up with others, on doing it “right”. Many studios and teachers encouraged this viewpoint too. When practicing free range yoga, the competitive impulses and judgement faded and the whole ecosystem of yoga (8 Limbs) unfolded before me. I realized yoga was much more than what happened on the mat. I began to tune in and to develop my own presence. I began to enjoy the practice itself over measuring progress. …
You Can’t Avoid Struggle if You Want to Create Something Meaningful.
I’m a huge fan of vulnerability researcher Brené Brown. Her work has influenced me, and so many others, both personally and professionally. I love how she weaves data, research and “academics” into useful and deeply personal “popular” wisdom. On the days when my own work as a risk-taking educator feels extra challenging, I find that I often return to her perspective on criticism. Not feedback, mind you, but criticism.
In her humorous and humble talk at 99U, Brown tells a story of being stuck in a deep funk from reading too many cruel and negative online comments aimed at her personally, not her professional ideas. …
About
